[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 11, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H2778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CALLING FOR RENEWAL OF ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, Sunday was Mother's Day. An 
awful lot of us were down here in Washington to kick off the next 
several months on going to so many different States to remind people 
that September 13, the assault weapons ban will expire. In many ways it 
was great seeing people I have met over the last several years, people 
from California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Jersey, Connecticut, 
people that gave up Mother's Day to come down and to be here today and 
tomorrow to lobby Members of Congress to remind their legislators they 
want the assault weapons ban kept in place. One of the saddest things 
was talking to so many friends that I have met over the years, those 
that have lost their children, their husbands, their wives, and yet 
they are still out there fighting.
  We know that reducing gun violence in this country will always be a 
tough fight. But the one thing I heard constantly, Why are we letting 
the assault weapons ban expire? It is going to be up to the million 
moms across this country. I happen to think the dads and the 
grandfathers, the husbands and wives, should certainly be out there. We 
have every national police organization behind us. They do not want to 
see the assault weapons ban expire. Yet when the White House was asked 
about what they were going to do about the assault weapons ban, the 
answer came back, NO comment. That is a far cry from what was said 
during the last campaign when President Bush said he would sign the 
bill if it came to his desk.
  I know it is an inside Washington thing, but to get a bill on the 
desk, it actually has to be brought up here on the floor so we can vote 
on it. That is where the American people have to come into play. The 
American people have to start e-mailing, they have to start faxing 
their Representatives and say we want to keep the assault weapons ban 
in place. That is the only way that we can put pressure on this House 
to make sure it is coming up for a vote.
  I happen to think that when our police officers start going to all 
their local legislators and their Senators, that we are going to see a 
change in the tide. I know we do things here at the last minute on the 
House floor. I accept that. But I have to tell you, when there is only 
125 days left to make sure that the assault weapons ban stays in place 
and only 50 days before an election, I think the American people's 
voices should be heard.
  I am a great believer in one person can make a difference. It was 
gratifying to see so many people from around the country down here in 
Washington. When you multiply that and multiply that throughout the 
Nation, we can make a difference. I always hear from the American 
people that it makes no difference what we do down in Washington, that 
they have no voice. I say that is wrong. Do you know how many votes 
pass in this House by one vote or fail by one vote? Over in the other 
body today, unemployment insurance failed by one vote. The assault 
weapons bill going back when it first passed, it passed by one vote. 
One vote does count. One vote means a lot.
  Sixty-six percent of gun owners believe that the assault weapons ban 
should be renewed. Seventy-six percent of the American people believe 
the assault weapons ban should be kept in place. May I remind our 
people out there, the guns we are talking about are AK-47s, Uzis, the 
guns unfortunately that we see in the war every day. Do we actually 
want them back in our communities? Do we want them in our streets? In 
our schoolyards? Have we not seen enough gun violence in this country 
that we would want to put these weapons of mass destruction back out on 
the streets? I do not understand this. This is not taking away anyone's 
right to own a gun. Talk to hunters across the country; they do not 
hunt with these guns.
  So what is the holdup here? They are back on their old rhetoric, 
saying the bill never worked. Talk to the police officers across this 
country and they will say the bill does work. May I remind everybody 
why we passed an assault weapons ban in the first place? Because too 
many of our police officers were being mowed down. Get out there and 
let your voices be heard. We can make a difference.

                          ____________________